Russia's armed forces are wrapping up a contest to select the names of three new, advanced weapons that were announced earlier this month and touted as invincible toward any defense systems.
For those looking to play a part, voting ends today—so act quick.
The revolutionary weapons included a laser complex, an unmanned underwater drone capable of delivering a nuclear torpedo and a nuclear-powered cruise missile. Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed these projects, along with the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)—already dubbed "Satan 2" by the NATO Western military alliance—during his State of the Nation speech on March 1.
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While Putin had names for the new ICBM and the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, he said he would ask the Russian Defense Ministry and "those interested in military equipment" to choose the others.
The contest opened immediately and the Russian Ministry of Defense officially shared the contest to the public on Tuesday. In the weeks since, the people have responded.
The laser weapon, which Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Monday could disable targets "within fractions of a second," has so far been referred to only as the "Combat Laser System." So far, the public's leading suggestions are "Gorynych" (a dragon out of Slavic folklore) with 19.3 percent, "Peresvet" (an ode to the Russian Orthodox monk who fought against the Mongol army and died at the Battle of Kulikovo in the 14th century) with 16.39 percent and "Glare" with 13.51 percent.
Next was the underwater drone. The device was said to be able to carry the Kanyon nuclear torpedo, referred to as a "doomsday weapon" by a recent Pentagon report. The weapon, initially called the "Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System" in early documents, also needs a new name and users have so far favored "Bream" (a type of fish) with 24.04 percent, "Carassius" (another type of fish) with 18.37 percent and "Whisperer" with 16.35 percent.
Finally, the nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of thwarting ICBM-focused U.S. defenses would be the first successfully developed weapon of its kind. Top titles for this weapon of war are "Palmyra" (the ancient Syrian city retaken from the Islamic State militant group by the government with help from Russia and local allies) with 15.43 percent, "The Emperor/Monarch" with 11.34 percent and "Burevestnik" (the Russian name for a species of seabird known as petrel in English and known locally for announcing an oncoming thunderstorm.) with 10.5 percent.
The choice of Palmyra, known as "Tadmur" in Arabic, was Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's personal favorite, according to The New York Post.
The weapons were part of Putin's drive to modernize its military as Moscow expands its role in international affairs. The endeavor has been met with a negative reaction in the West, where nations such as the U.S. have accused Russia of interfering in their internal affairs.
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Based in his hometown of Staten Island, New York City, Tom O'Connor is an award-winning Senior Writer of Foreign Policy ... Read more
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